Blackbird SR 71 Nothing But Pratt Engine Sound 

It still looks like it's from 50 years in the future

Those frickin 60's. Time of great ambitions, acheivements, pioneers. We need that spirit nowadays more than ever.

It never ends. These videos are just a constant reminder of the beautiful work that was done by the men and women that were part of this program.

A pinnacle of engineering and beauty at the same time.

This thing is so beautiful that even aliens would be amazed

I love how the Russians provided the titanium.

One of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.

Saw an SR71 land at RAF Mildenhall in the early 1970's. The crew were wearing the distinctive astronaut suits. Quite a sight

It still looks like something from the future...amazing sound

Love how it leaks fuel like a seive until the airframe warms up.....amazing

Who the hell needs UFOs and alien spacecraft when it's right here 😎

By far my favorite aircraft ever produced. Sadly it was the most expensive to operate and maintain in the Air Force fleet. Amazing they designed this back in the 60’s and it’s still the fastest plane to date.

C. L. "Kelly" Johnson was an F'ing GENIUS!!! P&W made his visions come to life.

1960's technology that has yet to be surpassed. Thank you Skunk Works.

One of man's greatest accomplishments, it still holds speed records for an air-breathing manned aircraft...!

don't forget this was all Analogue systems and made in 60's

What an amazing machine! I wish I had followed my inner voice and recurring dream to take to the skies as a pilot. Instead I found myself in the periphery as I served in the USAF as a flight med doc and flight cc. My grandfather and father served in the army air corp and navy as pilots respectively. I chose to pursue a career in medicine because it “paid better”. I later learned I had ignored my inner voice to serve in a military capacity and joined the USAF after graduating medical school. I served honorably in that capacity and tended to the medical needs of pilots and others with flying status. But as I got out I realized I never fulfilled that inner desire to fly. To anybody reading this who hasn’t yet committed to a direction at the “career fork in the road”, listen to that small voice inside you . Whatever that voice is that tells you what your calling in life is. Chose it and chose it independent of factors that are less than top tier on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Wishing I took the pilot route. Instead my right index finger is performing DRE’s/prostate exams in fat middle aged men. I’m financially ok, but wishing I had taken to the skies. Wishing I had aimed for self-actualization when I came to that fork in the road.

My dad used to fly the boom on a KC-135 and he said the tanker pilot would have the throttles firewalled to get the tanker to go as fast as it could to keep the SR-71 underneath it. Incredible that the SR-71 was designed by guys in the 50's with slide rules, t-squares and pencils.

When I was stationed at Offutt in the 80's we had a '71 come in for the airshow. My office was in a building connected to the hangar. Pilot did 2 fly-by's before landing and pulling into the hangar. I have pictures of the line crew throwing their hats in the air as he went by.

Simply the most beautiful thing ever built by man.

Kelly Johnson was a genius. Nothing will ever top the Blackbird. Well done Sir.

This plane was SO far ahead of it's time.

They have one on display at the Duxford military museum here in the UK , it sits under the wing of a B52 and next to a B17. It's the most astonishingly beautiful aircraft I've ever seen .

Blackbird SR 71, just the name already thrills. What a look, sure a beauty, what a sound, still amazes and what a capacities! Even capable of flying at an altitude of 81,400 ft (25 km). Enjoyed every single second of the video👌

Around 1980 I was in my house, which was located about two miles southwest of Buckley AFB in Colorado. I was already an experienced mechanic on military and airline aircraft, but I suddenly heard a noise such as I had never heard from an approaching aircraft. I ran out the front door just in time to see a climbing SR-71 passing at low altitude directly over my house. The AF had kept it under wraps, but it turned out that a few days previously an SR-71 on a flight from Beale AFB had developed a problem and made an emergency landing at Buckley. They flew in a crew from Beale to make repairs, and when the thing took off, climbing over Aurora and Denver, the secret was out big time. An unforgettable sound.

since I was a boy of 8 years old I have been getting full-body goosebumps merely by thinking the words "SR-71... Blackbird." persists to this day unabated. I am 36 now

I read an article not long ago in which a former SR-71 pilot stated that he and his RSO on one flight were able to exceed Mach 3.5 after a long cruise climb when conditions were just right. As far as the maximum altitude, the 95,000 ft. AGL number often quoted is the unclassified service ceiling. The true maximum cruising altitude and service ceiling is significantly higher.

I was fortunate to see an SR-71 take off from MacDill AFB in 1970. Once the LG was tucked up it just disappeared.......in a few seconds as if it had gone into warp drive. Amazing. Wright Flyer, USAF (1968-1972)

What an astounding and amazing piece of engineering, unrivaled by any measure based on when it was made, the tools, the materials, e.t.c. truly remarkable and more unusual than anything before or since. So far ahead of its time, it's pure power and brilliant engineering is difficult to grasp.

I never get tired of looking at or the construction details/spec of this completely one off machine...truly stunning in ever way.

The thunder like sounds it makes when lighting is the best, it’s awesome. I would absolutely love to hear it in a high definition or better yet in person.

A sweet sound in aviation history, thanks for sharing this video of pure power and speed and the altitude of The Sr-71 Blackbird, the plane was awesome, I was young, 9 or 10 years old when I saw this plane fly. It was and still is, a gorgeous plane. A thing of beauty.

Another master piece thank you Kelly Johnson !

Mesmeric sound of those engines. Incredible thing of beauty.

I have an 18" by 48" poster of the SR71 on my wall with a Lockheed Martin Skunk Works 14" round tin sign on my living room wall! Loved the plane since the early '60s! All you could get then was a whisper now and then! Love that bird!

I've had the honor to see the oldest SR-71 that's still around: 61-7951

We once stood on the shoulders of giants. Now we're terrified of a head cold because the TV told us so. How far we have fallen and we haven't even hit the floor yet ........

Intense! Loved hearing that sweet noise on Okinawa and catching a glimpse of it taking off. Glad I could experience that now.

Saw Blackbirds at the open house at Offutt AFB, both on static display and a flyby. Incredible!!!

Man, I can only imagine... The feeling these boys got ground crew and aviators, to be there, possibly while under development so highly classified. All the sound, smoke, hiss and whine from the beasts. Clearing essential safety checks before a reconnaissance flight over who knows where. Having those butterflies knowing you're in front of a literal 'black project' that 99% of world has no idea exists.. and you're the 25 year old kid marshalling this thing out of the hanger. (All just daydreams, but come on) Shit gives me a stiffy in a quickie.

The neighbors across the street from me said they knew a journalist who was taken up in the Blackbird. He said it took him only 14 minutes to cross the entire state of Montana and that when he touched the window, it felt like an oven due to the insane amount of air friction generated at Mach 3+ speeds.

In 1982 as I circled to land on Okinawa I saw a "Habu" on takeoff. The flames from the engines were the distinctive multiple rings of flames and they were at least as far back as the length of the plane.

Used for whatever should never detract from the idea that this is a brilliantly designed and crafted piece of aircraft. Nothing like it anywhere. Engines from hell.

Just think, a little over 60 years since the Wright Bros first flight! The SR 71 was built. Amazing!!!!

This airplane is mostly engines and fuel tanks. A marvel of engineering! The electronics and photography package are minimal.

In 50 years from now it will still be the most badass plane to have ever been built.

0:42 that ignition sound never fails to put a smile on my face

In the mid 1980s, when I was about ten years old, I became an “Uncanny X-Men” reader. One of the coolest moments I can remember was when I found out that the X-Men operated a pair of modified SR71s as their mode of transportation. Apparently, ProfessorX had used both his contacts in the military and, unethically, his telepathic ability to erase, cloud and manipulate minds to acquire these aircraft and have it remain his secret. You’d often see Rogue or another of the team performing the required maintenance and repair. I had already been a lifelong fan of The BlackBird in real life so this felt like a genius bit of detail to me.

When that TEB hit that JP7 what a sound it made. You can hear those 454 GM rotary screw air compressor revving to the moon trying to get enough air into the big J58.

Witwooooo.....that sounds awesome through our Denon Setup !!! It's giving me goosebumps.... Just like riding the Honda CBR1100 XX Super Blackbird does too !!! Thank you so much for giving us the raw sound of a legend !! 👍

They designed this monster with paper, pencil and a slide rule... absolutely mind boggling 😳

эх, завидую этим пилотам. Они жили в такое время ! Тогда не было телефонов, настольных компьютеров, люди жили и наслаждались жизнью. А конкретно эти -еще й полетали на таком самолете.

Seen one take off at an airshow back in 1982 , awesome

Still is a class of it's own

THIS WAS CUTTING EDGE AND AHEAD OF IT'S TIME JUST AN AWESOME AIRCRAFT.

One of my life regrets is never having seen one of these beauties flying.

I gust purchased a piece from El Paso Texas it crashed in 1970 12"×10" ,(61-7970) I still can't believe it is in my hands, dreams do come true!!

Kelly Johnson and all of his “Skunk Works” people were brilliant!!👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Shock diamond flame always make my day. Cheers from Indonesia

State of art !!!! The most incredible human machine ever made !!!! Remember, without computers only brains !!!! Salute Mr Johnson !!!!!!!

The magnificent pride of Beale Air Force Base. Way ahead of its time.

God, I love that plane. Ever since I saw it at the air show In Belleville ILL some time in the 70s, I've been a fan. This is the most beautiful plane of all times, and I read reasons they retired it but it just seems they would update it for further use. It is still called the fastest plane ever.

Hands down the most beautiful and greatest plane ever made

I’ve met two maintenance engineers that worked on these and they still remain pretty tight-lipped about discussing certain aspects of these craft like the exterior wing materials and actually tops speeds.

We are only now, 60 years later building something faster. This machine has held the title for almost a generation. RESPECT. Not just for the plane, but for the Men who designed, built, maintained and piloted them. A benchmark for US engineering at its finest and most daring.

My father left Westinghouse to go to Pratt in 1962, he was a PhD mechanical engineer.

Please visit the National Air & Space Museum at Dulles International (Note: NOT the NA&S Museum on the Mall - the one at Dulles that houses the full-sized BIG aircraft.) After walking up the long ramp into the building, and up another long ramp into the display area, the first thing that you see is an SR-71 looking straight at you - with a Space Shuttle behind it. It will make your whole trip worthwhile...

Greatest leap forward in aeronautical science man has had since the Wright Flyer.

That Aircraft Looks SO INCREDIBLE

It's cool listening to the sound of the engine knowing the fucking power output it's capable of.

I worked with a Warrant Officer in the Nike Missal system in the 70s and he told me of a test they ran on the West Coast . All the batteries were set up to try to track a HIGH SPEED target going down the whole West Coast . Every one saw it and watched it zip by before they could even begin to track . I think they were just showing off .

The coolest plane ever built. The highest and the fastest.

I don't care what anyone says, the SR-71 is unassailable majesty. A beautiful aircraft that stole my heart decades ago. ♥️ I would be buried inside this plane if it was possible, I love it that much.

My father retired from P&W...best jet engine maker in the world!

I turn my speakers up with subwoofer. Great. Sounds so sweet. The start up sequence is the best.

Pensar que su primer vuelo fue en 1964 y yo naci en el año 66's... El pajaro negro mas hermoso que e visto...!!! Hasta hoy dia su tecnologia es insuperable , una maravilla de la aeronautica...!!! Me fascina es bello .!!!

I’m sure someone went back in time and gave the engineers the blue prints for this beast of a machine!!!!!! The most absolute gorgeousness of a flying machine !!!

Such a magnificent accomplishment for America! Just imagine what we are flying today...

I worked for a small research company in MA in 1974. It was run by 2 PhDs. The younger one had a model of an SR 71 on his desk. First time I had see one. I asked him about the reason for the model. He was an engineer for Pratt & Whitney. He worked on the SR 71 engine turbine blades.

Великолепный самолёт, уникальный был проэкт, один из шедевров в авиастоении☺👍

Car guy to the core. Planes were always out of my scope but I lived by Dayton international airport as a kid and the late 80s early 90s were amazing and I’d give up every cool car experience I have ever had to be any part of the the SR-71’s engine on condition. I would want to start it as well as fly in it. I think outside would be the best experience of sound etc.

I tell ya'all it takes serious nerves of steel to stand under that plane making last minute adjustments while the engines are firing up!

Why can't we build stuff like this anymore?

wow the start of the video was awesome when they were starting up the engines. The engines on the sr 71 were so big that they needed start carts. Those start carts were louder than most fighter jets today. The sr 71 makes the f 22 sound like a baby cat

art and engineering together it was a masterpiece

Politics plus engineering equals power beyond anything we could dream of

Every time I see a blackbird video I think to myself those who got to see it fly were probably thinking that’s one hell of a sight

Watched an SR-71 take off from Palmdale, CA. it was cleared to go right after our Golden West commuter plane was airborne. It was still on the ground as we got to approx 1500 feet. Heard the tower clear it to roll, and we all looked back for it. Our pilot asked us what we were looking for, and a MSgt said the SR. The pilot responded "oh, it is up there and pointed it out. He said it was at nearly 25,000 feet and still going, we NEVER heard it go by, NEVER saw it go by, and only saw it disappearing into the distance. Did see them a lot at Edwards AFB where I was stationed, as they flew into and out of that Base for whatever reason. The only faster was the Space Shuttle when it was flying.

Beautiful aeroplane, amazing technology. Regards from the UK.

I bet this one of the most hated and haunting sounds to the soviets lol

I remember watching these fly from Kadena AFB in 1984. Amazing.

It’s crazy. This plane is made on the 60’s, but no plane these day can beat this beast

This is high art. It is beyond tech. Especially when you know how the fastest Soviet jets compare in performance.

Watch the clouds in the background shows you how quick the plane is travelling

guys flying this thing were beyond Top Gun....

To date (August 2020) still the grand champion BAMF of aircraft.

Pshh, my civic would dust this thing now that I spent my christmas money on upgrades from autozone.

If anyone is wondering what the soundtrack in the beginning is: its Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene

My baby!! We have one at The Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, Va, suspended from a ceiling. My favorite plane of all time!! I also have a CD with sounds of different jet engines: F-15, F-16, SR-71.including sonic booms!..The J-58's are the best.

My end of days are close more than i believe. I don't think I'll see another one in my days like this one, or for what it was built for.